No more text messaging while driving

California will crack down on this practice starting Jan. 1, when it will become illegal for drivers to send e-mails, text messages or instant messages from wireless devices while they’re behind the wheel.

First offenses are $20 and subsequent offenses are each $50, although penalties can as much as triple these fines, the Department of Motor Vehicles warns.

A California law that went into effect July 1 already prohibits drivers from talking on a cell phone without the use of a hands-free device.

In September, the engineer of a Metrolink train in Los Angeles was found to be sending text messages on his cell phone seconds before the train crashed into a freight train, killing 25 people, including himself.